Initiatives

Initiatives

There is something in us, as storytellers and as listeners to stories, that demands the redemptive act, that demands that what falls at least be offered the chance to be restored.

— Flannery O'Connor, Author

We have a relatively simple motto: Do sh*t. With the rise of the digital age, everybody has something to say. Everyone has an opinion. But the more folks talk, the less people seem to listen and the more dysfunctional it all seems. You can't go on the computer without reading about everything that everyone is angry about. These days everyone seems to get off on talking about how effed up every thing is.

It grows louder and louder until it just seems someone needs to hold a finger to their mouth and say, "shhhhhh."

Take all the energy and anger about all that's wrong and just do something. Think about how to UnEff the world for a change. UnEff That.

So that's what we do. Every year we will focus our energies and what little money we have around an initiative. We will rally the Effin Artist community around a common cause through a yearlong initiative that generates the momentum necessary to inspire solutions.

power of story

When change happens ... a story leads the way.

power of story

When change happens ... a story leads the way.

The sh*t we're going to do:

Criminal u

Criminal u

It's no small thing to UnEff the American prison system. The debate about whether it works is over. It doesn't. Our Department of Corrections has ignored its mandate to correct. Our justice system that long ago lost sight of justice. Our prisons have become the largest educational system in the country, with more than two million students enrolled, 600,000 "graduating" back into society and most utterly failing to become productive members of society. Two thirds of all those released will go back for more education. Because our prisons continue a criminal environment where the education is teaches people to do more crime, the results are utterly predictable.

We are the global leader in locking up people. Once locked up their lives spiral in dramatic ways. If we redesigned the American prison system, we'd be far better at incarcerating those that need it. We'd keep people out of it in the first place. We'd find more humane ways to deal with problems of poverty and addiction. We crush the school-to-prison pipeline. How? Well, like all things it starts with story. The real story of our life in Criminal U needs to be told. Through film, music and stories, we will elevate the humanity behind bars.

Rising Surf

2017:Rising Surf

Rallying the surf community for ocean healthand climate change

Rising Surf

2017:Rising Surf

Rallying the surf community for ocean healthand climate change

Did you ever look at one of those globes in classrooms? You spin em around and see the whole word at your finger. Ever spin it and see where you'd "land?" More often than not you'd end up in the middle of an ocean somewhere. It makes sense, because so much of the world is covered in water. Our oceans are the foundation of our whole existence. But the bad news is we don't treat them with the reverence and care they require. Huge currents of trash swirl in the tide. Aggressive fishing practices are depleting the ocean's inhabitants. And well the real biggie, in the next fifty years the ocean is going to rise by three feet meaning coastlines everywhere are in danger. Entire countries could be under water. As oceans heat and rise and our poles melt, we run the risk of destroying this spinning globe we call home.

Rising Surf will tap into the community that loves the ocean as much as anyone: surfers. Through power stories and persuasive art we will dedicate a year to ocean health and stemming the tide of rising surf. We are currently on the lookout for partners, projects and artist to champion this effort in the coming year.